From: Center for Food Safety [action@foodsafetynow.org]
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2001 3:36 PM
To: FDA Commissioner
Cc: president@whitehouse.gov; vice.president@whitehouse.gov;
fdadockets@oc.fda.gov; fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: Oppose the FDAs new policies on GE Foods!!
FDA Commissioner Jane Henney
Dockets Management Branch (HFA 305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fisher's Lane, rm. 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
RE: Docket No. 00N-1396, and 00D-1598
Dear Ms. Henney,
I am OUTRAGED by your new policies on genetically engineered (GE)foods.
Despite overwhelming consumer demand, your agency STILL fails to require
safety testing and mandatory labeling for GE foods. It is a disgrace. Your
“notification” policy is an insult to consumers, and irresponsibly ignores
strong scientific evidence of numerous potential health and environmental
risks to GE foods. You should be aware that these foods could be toxic,
could cause allergic responses, could have lower nutrition value, could
compromise immune responses in consumers, and could cause irreparable
damage to the environment. There is mounting evidence that these "coulds"
are "wills".
I am also greatly opposed to your new “voluntary labeling” policy, which
denies consumers a basic right to know. Without mandatory labeling,
neither consumers nor health professionals will know if an allergic or
toxic reaction was the result of a genetically engineered food. Consumers
will also be deprived of the critical knowledge they need to hold food
producers liable should any of these novel foods prove hazardous.
Your proposed rules ignore serious concerns, and appear to be a decision
made to convenience industry at the expense of public health and the
environment. I will not accept your attempt to make me a guinea pig of
these untested foods, and I trust you will take my concern along with the
thousands of others into serious consideration.
Do the right thing. Your organization is not supposed to protect big
business interests, but rather CONSUMER interests. Most Americans oppose
genetic engineering of perfectly good foods, and even more of them are in
favor of mandatory labeling. Hasn't anyone at the FDA noticed that the
rest of the civilized world, particularly Europe, Asia, and South America,
are deeply opposed to GE foods? I'm sure you have, but because of the
factory farming and biotech interests to which you are beholden, you have
chosen to ignore this--to the detriment of everyone: consumers and farmers
in particular.
How do you sleep at night?
Sincerely,
Daniel Read
Daniel Read
150 Walker ST SW APT 10
Atlanta, GA, 30313
CC:
The President
Vice President Dick Cheney
FDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00N-1396]
Senator Max Cleland
Senator Zell Miller
Representative John LewisFDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00D-1598]
To the recipient -- this fax/email message has come to you via the Center
for Food Safety web site -- a public tool for providing input on food
safety issues. The user/site visitor had complete control over editing the
content of this message. Thus, the opinions expressed in this message are
not necessarily those of CFS or its parent organization, ICTA. Please
contact CFS at (202)547-9359 or email office@centerforfoodsafety.org with
any questions. Thank you.
___________________________________________________________________________
This letter was composed at www.foodsafetynow.org, a web site maintained
by:
The Center for Food Safety, 666 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Suite 302
Washington, DC 20003
PH: (202)547-9359 Fax: (202)547-9429
Email: office@centerforfoodsafety.org
web: www.centerforfoodsafety.org